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“In gratitude for the call of Sister Gregory Healy to Regina Laudis, may God in his infinite mercy and tenderness continue to send his angels to guide and care for her on the arduous path of vowed Benedictine life that she embraces today. May she, like Elijah, help others not to be dismayed by storms and rough waters, by fire or winds, but rather to stay attuned with the ear of the heart to the still small voice that continues to call each one us and which alone can bring us to our heart’s desire. May she stand firm in this desire and the belief that she will not be disappointed.
Let us pray to the Lord.” “Put on as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…
For blessings on Sister Gregory’s nursing studies and in gratitude for the many ways she expresses compassion, kindness and patience in her work of healing as infirmarian, either directly through nursing care for the Community and guests or indirectly by making beauty visible through music, flowers, word and wood craft.
Let us pray to the Lord.” “May Lady Abbess, on this 16th anniversary of her death, assist Sister Gregory in her dedication to the study and rendering of the Gregorian Chant, so that “singing psalms , hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to God” may never cease at Regina Laudis. May Sister Gregory grow in her love and mastery of the harp, the instrument always associated with the angels, and which, like the human voice, has the potential to make those who hear it laugh or cry, sometimes both at once.
Let us pray to the Lord.” “May Mary’s response of Fiat Mihi to the message of the Angel Gabriel, which we can easily imagine being accompanied by tears of joy as well as perplexity, always be a model for Sister Gregory, and for all of us, inspiring us to keep saying yes to the impossible, and believing that God’s plans will take into account our own desires, surprising us by answering them in ways only he can foresee.
Let us pray to the Lord.” Mother Abbess Lucia's Prayers of the Faithful at the Profession Mass
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O God, who in your unfathomable providence are pleased to send your holy Angels to guard us, hear our supplication as we cry to you, that we may always be defended by their protection and rejoice eternally in their company.
Collect for the Feast of the Guardian Angels
 On Saturday, October 2, 2021, the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, Sister Gregory Healy made her First Profession of Vows to God through the Community of the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Monsignor Robert Tucker, Pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Litchfield celebrated the Mass and was homilist. Sister Gregory's parents, Deacon Tim and Chris Healy and her Aunt Pat participated in the First Profession Mass.Before entering Regina Laudis Sister Gregory had completed a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies and a Master of Divinity. During her monastic life she has enthusiastically shared her musical gifts in directing our Novices' Maria Goretti Schola and teaching Gregorian Chant to our postulants. She is learning to play the harp and assists our liturgists in preparing for major solemnities.  She collaborates with other community members in teaching our Monastic Theology course to interns, practicum students, and visiting college groups. Sister Gregory has become the liaison between the Abbey and the Center for Social Concerns at her Alma Mater, the University of Notre Dame. Regina Laudis is now a placement site for their Summer Service Learning Program where students have the opportunity to experience the Catholic social tradition of care for the environment within a monastic context.Sister Gregory has developed other talents as well during her time as a novice. She studied woodturning under local masters and creates stunning bowls, vases, and pens from wood from our land.  She also has been studying Environmental Floral Design and creates arrangements that grace the sanctuary of our church Jesu Fili Mariae.During the past few years when called on to help the infirmarians, it became clear that Sister Gregory had a natural gift in her care and solicitude for the the elderly and sick members of the community. In 2019 she became a Certified Nurse Aide and during the last two years completed the necessary prerequisites for nursing school: anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology, and lifespan development. She has just applied to nursing school. The Abbey’s new infirmary, completed as part of our New Horizons renovation project, was named for the Guardian Angels which is why this feast was chosen for Sister Gregory's First Profession of Vows. For me the study of nursing brings a wholeness to my desire to be a healing presence in the world, as I will be able to include physical care with the healing elements of music and ministry. Part of my preparation for vows was to memorize the Chapter 36 of the Rule of St. Benedict on Care of the Sick.
 Sister Gregory shared her insights into the first reading: I chose this reading because of the prominence of the angel which I thought appropriate to the feast. I can also identify with Elijah in that I wrestle with just wanting to go to sleep or crawl into a cave because life is so hard. The angel nourishes his body with prepared food placed at his head, just like an infirmarian would bring a tray to a sick person. Then Elijah needs to withstand the gales and earthquake and fire in order to hear God in the faintest whisper. I think this is also like an infirmarian who needs to hear the often subtle messages of the sick person, and is also a reminder to me to remain steadfast through interpersonal storms in order to come to that moment of connection with the divine.
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